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Metaphor is Metaphorical

I was bored this morning, lying in bed without a book in reach (a crazy scenario, I know), when I found my phone shoved up under my pillow and decided to look through the notebook I have on there. (Secret: Half the time when people think I’m texting, I’m actually writing.)

And it was while I was going through my cell phone notebook that I came across something I’d written back in March that I really liked, so I figured I’d share it with you:

Well, something occurred to me while I was looking at that metaphor this morning. Completely random, out of the blue, but it just hit me: I’m leaving for college this week. And while I’m absolutely terrified of going off to live in a dorm with thousands of strangers all around me and not a recognizable face in sight, this is also my chance to peel off those sunglasses and truly learn to see the world. I’ll no longer just be hearing about it on the news and in my textbooks, but actually going out and exploring and living in it.

Our parents were scared of us seeing too much, of the sun being too bright and its glare hurting us. But by not being exposed properly to things, we’ve been hurt anyway. We take everything for granted, and think the entire world is ours to own–oh, but as soon as responsibility becomes a factor, count us out, because whatever’s wrong, it’s definitely somebody else’s fault.

You know what? It’s time for our generation to own up to our actions. It’s time for us to learn what it’s like to ride a bike without the training wheels, and it’s time for us to figure out what it means to make our own decisions and to live up to the repercussions.

Am I scared of college? Yes. I’m terrified.

But I’m also excited. I’m excited to finally figure out who I am without people imposing standards and expectations on me. I’m ready for the weight on my shoulders to be my own, and I’m ready to finally live life the way it’s meant to be lived, ride the bike the way it’s meant to be ridden: without training wheels.

This week, I’m finally going to be able to take those sunglasses off and see the world for what it is.